Burma Human Rights Network’s report: “We also have dreams” Executive Summary ● From October 2020 to April of 2021 BHRN interviewed 29 refugees ages 14 to 60 from 10 different camps in Cox’s Bazar ● Of those interviewed 68% were women ● 93% of refugees said they did not receive enough food rations ● 72% described their current safety situation negatively ● 100% said violence is a problem in the camps ● 81% said that criminal activity is a problem in the camps ● Arson, kidnapping, trafficking, drugs, and fights were listed as the most common crimes ● Women’s safety was a frequent topic of concern. This covered kidnapping, trafficking for arranged marriages, gender-based violence, and street harassment ● Women said that supplies particular to women, such as menstruation products, were lacking in aid distribution ● 90% of refugees interviewed said that kidnappings were a problem in their camp ● Trafficking of refugees from the camps to Malaysia and India were found to be an ongoing problem ● Arson attacks in the camps were a major cause of concern for refugees that caused death, injury, and loss of property for many and great unrest and anxiety for the rest. ● 90% of refugees described their current overall situation negatively ● Among the greatest concerns refugees had, lack of work and income was the most common ● When asked what change they wanted to see in the next year the majority of refugees said they hoped to return to Burma ● When asked what change they wanted to see in the next five years the majority of refugees said they wanted to return to Burma ● When asked what needed to change in order for them to go back to Burma, the majority of Rohingya refugees interviewed by BHRN said equal rights (ethnic and citizenship) and safety had to be ensured for them to be able to return. International pressure was raised as a requirement several times, implying that nothing could change if the world didn’t raise serious pressure on Burma to equitably return refugees to the country. ● 100% of refugees said they wanted to return to Burma despite the atrocities the Burmese military committed against them ● 63% of refugees said they would want to be repatriated to a third country if it were an option ● Despite all of this 72% of refugees said they were still hopeful www.bhrn.org.uk 2